Common Name: Sea Mango

General Information

Cerbera manghas varies in size from a shrub to a small or medium-sized tree that can grow up to 25 metres tall. The bole can be up to 70cm in diameter[, ].
The plant is used locally as a herbal medicine, being mainly harvested from the wild[]. The medicinal products are sometimes sold in local markets[]. A very ornamental tree, with beautiful, aromatic flowers that can be produced all year round, and interesting fruits that are used in flower displays, it is sometimes grown in gardens[, ].

Known Hazards

Incisions in the stems exude a copious, toxic, milky sap[].
The fruit, and especially the seed, are very poisonous and contain hydrocyanic acid and the cardiac glycosides thevetin and cerberin[]. The toxins are said to be particularly harmful to dogs[].

Botanical References

,

Range

East Africa, through the Indian Ocean Islands, tropical Asia to Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Habitat

Humid evergreen forest along the coast as well as in dry deciduous forest inland up to elevations of 150 metres in Madagascar[]. Seashore and tidal river banks in southern China[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Cerbera manghas is a plant of the moist lowland tropics.
Plants should preferably be grown in full light in a fertile, moist but well-drained loam with additional leaf mould[]. Often growing along the beach in the wild, this species should be resistant to maritime winds[].
A white latex exudes from all plant parts[]
The flowers are fragrant[]. They have the scent of frangipani[].
Small amounts of the timber are exported from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to Japan[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The seeds are used in traditional medicine to treat cardiac disorders[]. However they are very poisonous and were used until the middle of the 19th century as an ordeal poison[].
Externally, the seeds are used to treat scabies and itch; and to prepare a hair tonic[].

The oil extracted from the seed is used in plasters to treat infections such as scabies and prurigo. When applied to the hair it kills head-lice[].

The bark is used as a laxative and antipyretic and in the treatment of dysuria and ringworm[].
A decoction of the inner bark is drunk with cold water as an abortifacient[].
The outer bark is used externally in the treatment of ringworm[].

The flowers are used to treat haemorrhoids[, ].

The leaves are applied externally in the treatment of ringworm[].

The roots, bark, latex, and leaves are sometimes used as an emetic and a purgative[, , ]. This should only be done under the supervision of a skilled practitioner since all parts of the plant are toxic[].

All parts of the plant contain glycosides that are derived from cardenolides[, ]. Some of these have shown antiproliferative activity against human colon cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and epidermoid carcinoma cell lines, as well as anti-oestrogenic activity.
One of the alkaloids, cerberin, acts on plain muscle preparations as a definite stimulant both with regard to tone and peristaltic movements. As such it behaves as a parasympatomimetic poison. It acts on both the rhythm and amplitude of the heart. In moderate doses cerberin has positive inotropic properties, but in high, toxic doses it produces a negative inotropic and chronotropic effect[]. Ethanolic extracts of Cerbera manghas have shown selective activity against vesicular stomatis virus (VSV). Olivil, carinol and cycloolivil showed antioxidant activities[].

Other Uses

An oil is obtained from the seed[]. It is used as an illuminant[]. It can be used to make candles[].

The wood is lightweight to medium-weight, with the white to pale yellow-brown heartwood not demarcated from the sapwood[]. The grain is straight to slightly interlocked, texture fine and uneven. The shrinkage upon seasoning is moderate, and the wood works easily. It is not durable, highly susceptible to blue-staining fungi, and resistant to preservative treatment under pressure[]. Trees seldom grow to timber size, but the wood is useful for the production of veneer[].
The wood is occasionally used in tropical Asia for mouldings, interior trim, fruit cases, core veneer, matches, shuttering, clogs, plain furniture and carving, and also for charcoal[].
The wood is used for fine charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - germination is erratic[].
Cuttings

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